Heading into this draft, Donald was tabbed as an undersized but feisty interior defender who used a dominant Senior Bowl performance to move into the top-10 conversation. He ultimately fall to No. 13 overall, but has since established himself as arguably the best defensive player in the entire league. Injuries have held Clowney back, but even if he had stayed completely healthy, it’s unlikely he would have matched the impact Donald has had since coming into the league.

Donald has produced 204 tackles in the interior of the Rams defensive line. The former Pitt Panther has sacked the quarterback 39 times with two 11-sack seasons in 2015 and 2017. The 6-1, 280-pound defensive lineman has as many pass deflections as forced fumbles: nine. His availability has been very high with only two games missed, both of which occurred last season.

So if the Texans take Donald, where would Clowney eventually fall? Not too far, as Easterling would have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snag the South Carolina Gamecock at No. 7.

Without the chance to repeat their selection of Evans, the Bucs instead pivot to the defense, where they attempt to rewrite their recent history of awful pass-rushing success. Clowney’s injuries have kept him from living up to his lofty predraft expectations, but he’s still a rare talent capable of taking over a game all by himself when healthy. If the board fell this way for the Bucs, they should have no problem taking the man who was the clear-cut favorite at No. 1 overall.